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Space Elevator
A Space Elevator, also known as an Orbital Tether, is a device that is designed to move massive amounts of people and supplies from the surface of a planet or orbiting body into orbit. They are massive structures that measure up to tens of thousands of miles and are difficult to build. Space Elevators are ancient things in the UEG, several of which date back to before Mankind left the Solar System, but as more were built, the techniques on how to construct them became easier to grasp until almost every single major world had at least one orbital tether. Space elevators are intended to help lower the cost of moving cargo into orbit as well as reducing costs to ship movement. Often the sign of a well developed and successful world is a space elevator. Description Space Elevators typically consist of one or more central cables that carry weight up it using a climber system. These climbers can take multiple forms from torus-shaped areas to pod-like containers that climb on the side of the cables. The speed of ascent depends on whether or not living cargo is being transported. Inanimate goods rise at an accelerated rate while organic payload need to go up slowly. These tethers are constructed with what is called a counterweight at the end of the cable. This counterweight typically takes the form of a captured asteroid that is placed in geostationary orbit. This asteroid needs to be massive enough to be able to serve as both an anchor as well as a station beyond the actual terminal. The distance of the counterweight is typically calculated to be twice the distance to geostationary orbit, which means that in the case of Earth, an ideal Space Elevator needs to be approximately seventy thousand kilometers in order to maintain a stable position. Below the counterweight is the terminal itself. This is a conventional station which has docking bays as well as living quarters for travelers as well as station staff. This is where ships will dock. The reason for this is to save fuel as ships are close to achieving escape velocity at the terminal rather than needing to travel to the surface. The cables themselves are constructed of carbon nanofibers which take the form of molecular tubes which are wrapped around each other to increase in strength. This is the way that new tethers are constructed. Initially, a counterweight is placed into geostationary orbit, which is usually taken from a nearby asteroid belt. After this, a thin cable is run down to the planet, usually by unmanned ship that is heavy enough to keep hold of the tether. After this cable reaches the ground, it is immediately secured to prevent it by being blown around and buffeted by the planet's atmosphere. This cable is small, but even in its relatively strong state is weak compared to the cargo it is to haul. To help strengthen the cable, additional spools are run over time which grows the cable and increases the overall strength exponentially. To help stabilize a cable further, metal rings are set in place by their own climbers to create a structure that further reinforces the central cable. At the base of the structure is the departure point. This is a massive structure that needs to withstand the tension of the cable being pulled by the Earth's own rotation. This structure is commonly constructed by materials such as polycrete or titanium, both of which can support such pull. These structures also need to be large with a significant portion of their mass underground. Space Elevator stations are typically either constructed on land, or on water. The reason for this is that the equator of a planet may or may not be covered with water and a station needs to be as close to the equator as possible to best deal with the tidal forces of a planet. Sometimes stations are constructed on artificial islands that are built farther away from their respective cities. It should be noted that tethers can exist farther away from the equator, though they are less efficient and need to be much better supported. Stations may be assisted in orbit to maintain their location. The reason for construction here may be less reliance on another nation to ferry goods into orbit. These tethers only came about after the 28th Century These cities typically are structured by compartmentalization to prevent catastrophic collapse. These are rare, but they have happened on occasion where a collapse can greatly damage a surrounding area. If a cable were to snap, the tension from the cable would drag it up and away from the planet. with most of the damage being relegated to the surrounding area. As of 3241, there are over ten cities that are host to orbital tethers on the equator while smaller versions do exist on upper and lower latitudes. Polar models are not possible due to the lack of centrifugal forces. On other planets, especially those with lower gravity, tethers are much easier to construct. Space elevators on the moon have been made with less materials and with less height due to the lower gravity and strain on the surface. It should be noted that a possible danger with space elevators is that they may even make contact with one another due to the cable distances. On binary planet systems that are tidally locked, cables have been proposed to connect the two worlds since one side is constantly locked to another. Known Tethers Earth * Quito Space Tether (Quito, Ecuador) * Borneo Tether (Borneo, Southeast Asia) * Mombasa Millennial Orbital Elevator (Mombasa, Kenya, EAP) * The Big Island Tether (Hawaii, USA, UFNA) * Mumbai Space Elevator (Mumbai, India) * Havana Millenial Orbital Elevator (Havana, Cuba) * Rio Orbital Tether (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) * Cape York Space Elevator (Artificial Island 75 kilometers off the coast of Australia) * Christmas Island Millennial Orbital Elevator (Christmas Island, Australia) * Singapore Tether (Singapore, Southeast Asia) * New York Tether (Artificial Island fifty kilometers off the coast of New York City, UFNA) * Diego Garcia Tether (Diego Garcia, Territory of the United Kingdom) * Manila Orbital Elevator (Manila, Philippines) * Howland Tether (Howland Island, Territory of the United States) Luna * Armstrong Tether (Armstrong, Mare Tranquilitatus) * Shoemaker Tether (Shoemaker Crater, Luna) * Ricciolo Elevator (Marmaset, Riccioli) * Coriolis Lift (Coriolis City, Coriolis Crater) Mars * Olympus City Space Elevator (Olympus Mons, Katagulgan) * Labrynthian Tether (Valles Marineris, Coppis) Installation 05 * Pinwheel Station (Coelest System) List of Appearances * Deception * Journal of Sally Acorn Category:Technology Category:Lore